Did you know that… in July, 1939, Churchill and Chamberlain clashed over a potential Grand Alliance between Britain, France and the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany?
By mid-1939, Europe teetered on the brink of war as Nazi Germany's expansionist policies accelerated. Hitler’s occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 shattered any remaining illusions about the possibility of peace, prompting Britain and France to issue guarantees to Poland in an attempt to deter further aggression. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union, alarmed by German ambitions and skeptical of Western intentions, sought to secure its western borders. Despite growing awareness of the need for a united front against Germany, deep ideological mistrust and diverging strategic interests between the Western powers and the USSR complicated diplomatic efforts.
Throughout July 1939, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union engaged in intermittent negotiations to form a tripartite military alliance against Nazi Germany, but the talks were slow, disjointed, and increasingly strained. The Soviets insisted on a firm commitment to collective security, including guarantees for Poland, and demanded the right for Red Army troops to enter these territories in case of German aggression. Britain and France were reluctant to meet these demands—especially given Poland’s categorical refusal to allow Soviet forces on its soil. As the month drew to a close, Stalin, increasingly disillusioned with the Western position, opened secret channels of communication with Nazi Germany, setting the stage for the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact the following month.
Even within the British political class there were disagreements regarding this issue, especially between Churchill and Chamberlain. As Alan Saltman writes in Antagonists Who Saved Democracy, “In June and July the negotiations between Britain and Russia on an alliance stretched on without progress until they finally collapsed, and the parties adjourned the talks for several weeks. Churchill was less than pleased with Chamberlain’s continuing inability—or unwillingness—to consummate a Grand Alliance. [...] Despite the failure to consummate a Grand Alliance with Russia, in July 1939 Chamberlain nevertheless wrote that he was satisfied with what he had accomplished: ‘One thing is, I think, clear—namely, that Hitler has concluded we mean business and that the time is not ripe for a major war. In this, he is fulfilling my expectations. I go further and say: the longer the war is put off, the less likely it is to come at all, as we continue perfecting our defenses and building up the defenses of our allies. That is what Winston and Co. never seemed to realize…’.”
Despite their important disagreements in the months leading to WWII, once it started, both men came together to save Britain in its darkest hour. Their complicated relationship is the main theme Alan Saltman’s book Antagonists Who Saved Democracy, available in hardcover, softcover, and Kindle versions here: https://wghobartpublishers.com/buy-book/
For more about Antagonists Who Saved Democracy and No Peace With Hitler, including reviews and author info, visit: https://wghobartpublishers.com/
Churchill and Chamberlain, March 1935.
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